1. Volvo Traffic Safety 2008 “The importance of safety for trucking’s image”
Sao Paolo, 4 September 2008
Umberto de Pretto Deputy Secretary General
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

2. © International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

3. Evolution of IRU Membership
Members 74 Countries
Created 1948
8 Founder States:
1970
Belgium
Denmark
France
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden UK
Switzerland
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

4. IRU Priorities 2008 – Overview As per Art. 2 of the IRU Constitution
Sustainable Development
Innovation
Incentives
Infrastructure
Facilitation
Trade
Tourism
Road Transport
These are also the priorities of the IRU Academy
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

5. IRU Charter for Sustainable Development … improving our image
Agenda 21: role of non- governmental partners, business and industry.
IRU Charter = commitment of the entire road transport industry.
Road transport has taken the lead in the transport sector.
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

6. Sustainable Development … making our achievements known while improving our image
IRU Charter for Sustainable Development (1996)
IRU Initiative “Driving Towards Sustainable Development” (1997)
IRU Guide to Sustainable Development (2000)
IRU Reports on Road Transport Best Industry Practices (2002/4)
Industry as a Partner for Sustainable Development UNEP (2002/6)
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

7. www.iru.org IRU Academy Initiatives to improve training and our image
IRU Academy homepage:
CPC DRIVER PROGRAMME
IRU Academy Initiatives to improve training and our image
CPC MANAGER PROGRAMME
TACHOGRAPH PROGRAMME & DRIVING & REST TIME RULES
DANGEROUS GOODS (ADR) PROGRAMME
IRU ACADEMY SEMINAR & OTHER EVENTS
TRIPARTITE HIV/AIDS PROJECT
“IRU ACADEMY ONLINE“ INTERNET APPLICATION
ADC Meeting
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

8. Road safety – Highest priority and a key factor in improving our image
Bertil:
Our involvement in the EU Road Safety Charter as well as the IRU Road Safety Charter, signed during the IRU World Congress in Yokohama in 2004 and which is progressively implemented by numerous transport companies, has shown our commitment to promote a road safety culture in our industry and to implement various road safety tools, such as the IRU Taxi, Coach and Truck Driver Check Lists.
While road transport, like every transport mode and transport activity, is subject to human error and technical failure, it must be underlined that the involvement of a commercial vehicle in an accident in no way implies automatically that it is the cause of the accident. Today, professionally driven commercial vehicles are involved in fewer accidents per km travelled than any other vehicles.
Despite these positive developments, the road transport sector is increasingly confronted with ever new restrictive regulations where their effectiveness is rarely taken into consideration. It seems that there is a tendency to prefer the implementation of new restrictions and limitations, rather to develop true professionalism and a higher sense of responsibilities among the fleet operators, their drivers and the shippers.
The IRU position has always been to support all measures that improve road safety if they are effective and target the main of accidents involving trucks. To identify these main cause the European Commission and the IRU have commissioned the scientific European Truck Accident Causation Study (ETAC).
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

9. IRU Grand Prix d’Honneur … rewarding road transport heroes while improving our image
Laeremans
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

10. IRU Diplôme d’Honneur … recognising outstanding driving records and improving our image
Laeremans
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

11. IRU World Congress 2008: Istanbul
15 – 16 May 2008
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

12. IRU World Congress 2008: Istanbul
Attended by over 1900 participants from 70 countries
30 Ministers and high-level representatives
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

13. Ministers at the IRU Congress
JOINT DECLARATION OF THE ISTANBUL MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE REVIVAL OF THE SILK ROAD
ISTANBUL JOINT MINISTERIAL DECLARATION
ADOPTED IN ISTANBUL, REPUBLIC OF TURKEY, 16 MAY 2008
Ministers
Considering the need to meet challenges of globalisation with beneficial consequences on trade, tourism and transport relations in the world;
Acknowledging that road transport represents a highly efficient and flexible mode of linking neighbouring countries and regions as well as carrying out trans-continental transport operations, whenever needed, particularly to transport valuable and time-sensitive goods;
have decided to enhance joint actions to
Develop and support new approaches to improving and promoting the image of road transport, which is an irreplaceable mode for the creation and the distribution of wealth of all nations.
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

14. UNESCAP-IRU Asian Highway Truck Caravan 2009
Join us
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

15. Improving the image of road transport requires governments and ultimately the public at large to recognise that road transport drives progress and peace … everywhere!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

16. IRU manages TIR System under UN mandate … driving trade and transport
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

17. Geographical scope of the TIR Convention?
Contracting
Parties 68
TIR Operational
Countries 56
Contracting Parties
in admission process 2
In negotiation
process 3
Interested 6
regular growth
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

18. The combined efforts of 29 companies in 18 countries
What is Globalisation?
What does it take to have a cup of coffee in a café?
The combined efforts of
29 companies in 18 countries
If to have one cup of coffee at an affordable price, it takes 29 companies in 18 countries, you imagine how much more it would cost if all items came from the country where the end product is consumed?
If we know that it takes 10’000 suppliers, which in turn have their own suppliers, to create an affordable motor car, you can imagine the vital role of road transport in a liberalised economy.
Therefore, to stay in business, we need to see globalisation as an opportunity and not as a threat. To do so, we need to develop together the entrepreneurial spirit currently lacking in Europe.
Road Transport has become a vital production tool!
Source: IRU
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

19. Evolution of sea containers in ports
Global Container Overslag
The container movements in the main ports started with the birth of world containerisation in the 1970s.
Here, the green dots demonstrate a high density of container ports in the various countries.
This high number of ports is linked with a high number of small container vessels.
*****
The evolution of the container in the port at ten-year intervals is even more explicit.
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

20. Despite economic and transport realities, governments often penalise rather than facilitate road transport … how can we improve our image to shape public opinion and thus policy-making?
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

21. 1 in 6 drivers are attacked, yet nothing is done by governments!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

22. Preferred crime targets
* primary attacks (476); figures overlap
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

23. Attack locations * primary attacks (476)
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

24. We have reduced emissions by up to 97%, yet we are targetted for our environmental impact!
- 87%
- 81%
- 86%
- 97%
Source: EU Commission, Auto Oil II
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

25. Road safety – Highest priority
We have identified how to significantly reduce accidents involving trucks, but no government takes action!
Bertil:
Our involvement in the EU Road Safety Charter as well as the IRU Road Safety Charter, signed during the IRU World Congress in Yokohama in 2004 and which is progressively implemented by numerous transport companies, has shown our commitment to promote a road safety culture in our industry and to implement various road safety tools, such as the IRU Taxi, Coach and Truck Driver Check Lists.
While road transport, like every transport mode and transport activity, is subject to human error and technical failure, it must be underlined that the involvement of a commercial vehicle in an accident in no way implies automatically that it is the cause of the accident. Today, professionally driven commercial vehicles are involved in fewer accidents per km travelled than any other vehicles.
Despite these positive developments, the road transport sector is increasingly confronted with ever new restrictive regulations where their effectiveness is rarely taken into consideration. It seems that there is a tendency to prefer the implementation of new restrictions and limitations, rather to develop true professionalism and a higher sense of responsibilities among the fleet operators, their drivers and the shippers.
The IRU position has always been to support all measures that improve road safety if they are effective and target the main of accidents involving trucks. To identify these main cause the European Commission and the IRU have commissioned the scientific European Truck Accident Causation Study (ETAC).
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

26. Main Cause: The human factor
624 accidents showed the main cause of accidents is human error
Hubert:
The ETAC study results show that human error, whether by the truck driver or another road user, is the main cause of 85,2 % of accidents. However, among accidents linked to the human factor, 75% are caused by other road user versus 25% by the truck driver.
Other factors such as technical failures, infrastructure conditions and weather conditions comparatively play a minor role, representing 5,3%, 5,1% and 4,4% respectively of the principal causes of accidents.
When IRU shared this finding with the European Commission their logic comment was that with this in mind, the EU policy should mainly target the human factor efficiently.
However, of the 85.2% linked to human error, 75% were caused by other road users!
Source: EU, IRU
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

27. Source: European Commission 2005
Truck Noise
25 modern trucks make no more noise than one built before 1980, but we are still targeted to pay for our “externalities”!
Source: European Commission 2005
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

28. Perception versus reality …
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

29. Trains can go anywhere!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

30. Trains can connect people and businesses!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

31. Trains are safe!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

32. Trains drive tourism!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

33. Trains are green!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

34. Trains are romantic!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

35. Trains are adventurous!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

36. Trains are silent!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

37. Trains are more secure!
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

38. Why this complete misperception of reality?
Ask the man on the street:
Who makes trucks?
Who makes tyres?
Who makes fuel?
Who makes trains?
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

39. © International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

40. © International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

41. © International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

42. Why this misperception?
Road transport – 99.9% of advertising budget dedicated to selling the PRODUCT
Rail transport – 99.9% of advertising budget dedicated to selling the SERVICE
SO WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?
© International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008

43. © International Road Transport Union (IRU) 2008